Do you have plantar fasciitis?And how can it be treated?

This year the London Marathon has been moved to October 2nd 2022. It was postponed from April and this is the third successive year that the race has been held in the autumn.

At this time of year we usually see an increase in plantar fasciitis. This is a disorder of the plantar fascia which is the connective tissue that supports the foot.This tends to be caused by overtraining, an increase in mileage, tight calf muscles, hill workouts and an up in your speed training.

This means that your muscles are not quite ready for action and results in plantar fasciitis.

Aside from our usual strategies to help to settle this, the focus in this article is on Shockwave Therapy which we have at the practice.

The Science:

A shock wave is an intense, short energy wave that moves faster than the speed of sound.

They are typically characterised by:

High positive pressures of more than 100 MPa

Extremely short rise times (about 10 microseconds)

Fast pressure rises (less than 10 nanoseconds)

Narrow effective beams (2-8mm diameter) When a pressure wave passes through the human tissue, it produces physiological and therapeutic effects.

It is believed that four phases are involved in producing these therapeutic effects.

1) Phase one is the direct effect of the shock. Mechanical pressure directly affects the cells in the tissues being targeted for treatment.

2) Phase two is the physical-chemical phase which influences the metabolism in the cell, increasing their activity to promote healing.

3) Phase three is the chemical phase which may be accompanied by molecular changes and intracellular reactions.

4) The last phase, phase four, involves physiological responses to the first three phases.

How could Shockwave Therapy Work?

Faster and long-term healing.

Regeneration of the tissue.

Reverse chronic inflammation that is very common in conditions such as plantar fasciitis.

Stimulate collagen production, which is a vital substance in natural tissue repair.

Dissolution of calcium fibroblasts which are often part of the problem in chronic shoulder pain.

What could it be used to treat?

Plantar Fasciitis

Achilles tendinopathy

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Coccydynia

Hip or Shoulder Bursitis

Hamstring tendinopathy

Iliotibial band syndrome

Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow)

Medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints)

Myofascial trigger points

Osgood-Schlatter disease

Patellar tendinopathy

Shoulder tendinitis & rotator cuff.

Can Everyone Be Treated With Shockwave Therapy?

Shockwave Therapy isn't suitable for everyone. If you have a condition on the following list you are not allowed to have this treatment:

Haemophilia / Clotting disorder / Risk of haemorrhage

Taking Anti-coagulant medication, eg. Warfarin or Rivaroxaban

Cardiac pacemaker or other cardiac devices

Unstable heart condition

Steroid injection to the treatment site in the last 6 weeks.

Cancer Pregnant / Trying to conceive

Tumour at the site of treatment Infection at site of treatment.

Sometimes the treatment is a bit painful, but most people can normally tolerate this. If you cannot tolerate it, please let your practitioner know, as the dose can be amended to ensure you are comfortable. It is also normal to feel a little tender on the area that has been treated during your session. Our team at Sammy Margo Physiotherapy will advise you on how to keep this at a minimum and what activities to avoid directly after your treatment.

Book a FREE Plantar Fasciitis Consultation If you are unsure if we are the right option for your specific problem, want to know more about what we could do for you or just want to speak to a professional about your problem, contact us today to arrange a FREE 15 minute telephone consultation